New Guy Needs a Little Direction [Archive]

Pete M

March 9th 04, 02:10 PM

Greetings to All,
I will soon be purchasing my first marine tank and would appreciate a
little advice.. I plan to buy a 125 gal with a built in overflow
which will be used for fish only or perhaps with some live rock as
well. I will install a sump. I have been looking at an AquaC EV-240
protein skimmer with a Mag Drive 1200 Pump Combo. Would this be a
wise choice or too much. I would also appreciate a suggestion on a
pump for the return. Should I have one overflow or two? Also what
size holes should I have drilled in the tank for the overflow and the
return?
Thanks in advance for any help.

Marc Levenson

March 9th 04, 02:17 PM

Hi Pete,

Yes, the EV-240 would be a good one, because if you ever upgrade to a larger
tank you've got a good skimmer already. I have the EV-200 myself, on a 55g reef
tank.

Redundancy is always good. If you have two overflows of equal size, they will
both allow 'x' amount of drainage per hour. As long as your return pump doesn't
exceed their flow, you won't have a tank overflowing with water. If you use a
pump that is only rated for the amount of one overflow pipe, then if one of the
two drainlines ever becomes clogged your system continues to function without
issue.

Once you determine how much your tank can drain per hour, you'll want a pump
that can match that, or be slightly underpowered for the job. Overpowered means
your tank will fill too quickly, and you guessed it...wet carpet/flooring.

I prefer the submersible pump for my sumps, and I use the Mag drives. They have
been very reliable in my experience and I have many of them working non-stop 24
hours a day.

Marc

Pete M wrote:

> Greetings to All,
> I will soon be purchasing my first marine tank and would appreciate a
> little advice.. I plan to buy a 125 gal with a built in overflow
> which will be used for fish only or perhaps with some live rock as
> well. I will install a sump. I have been looking at an AquaC EV-240
> protein skimmer with a Mag Drive 1200 Pump Combo. Would this be a
> wise choice or too much. I would also appreciate a suggestion on a
> pump for the return. Should I have one overflow or two? Also what
> size holes should I have drilled in the tank for the overflow and the
> return?
> Thanks in advance for any help.

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